COMM ENG NOTES

Lesson 1: Community Engagement, Solidarity, and Citizenship

Types of Society

1. Tribal Society

   • Small, close-knit community.

   • Social organization based on kinship, tradition, and survival needs.

   • Community Engagement Context:

     • Participation revolves around customs and oral traditions.

     • Communal decision-making must respect indigenous knowledge and cultural practices.

2. Agrarian Society

   • Centered on farming, agriculture, and land ownership.

   • Often has hierarchical social structures.

   • Community Engagement Context:

     • Issues like land ownership and labor rights are prevalent.

     • Efforts focus on sustainable farming and agricultural support.

3. Industrial Society

   • Driven by manufacturing and urbanization.

   • Leads to economic expansion and class distinctions.

   • Community Engagement Context:

     • Concerns include labor rights, urban poverty, and industrial pollution.

     • Community programs may involve workers’ rights advocacy and housing projects.

Understanding Society and Community

• Society:

  • A group of people with a common territory and culture.

  • Members are diverse and interact based on shared characteristics, often involuntarily.

  • Community:

  • Members share common characteristics and are usually more homogeneous than society.

  • Locality provides a definite shape and involves systematic interactions among individuals.

Community Characteristics

• Larger than community but smaller than society.

• Characteristics of Members:

  • Diverse in society; mostly homogeneous in communities.

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4. Post-Industrial Society

   • Knowledge-based society driven by services, information, and technology.

   • Community Engagement Context:

     • Focus on digital inclusion, education, and corporate social responsibility.

     • Efforts may address technological access and employment training.

Community Defined

• Political territory and heritage.

• Network of interpersonal ties based on mutual interests.

• Sharing of emotional or spiritual connections.

Types of Community

1. Interest Community:

   • Example: Negros Oriental Mountaineering Society promotes eco-tourism.

2. Action Community:

   • Example: GWAVE advocates for women’s and children’s rights.

3. Place Community:

   • Example: Dumaguete City Neighborhood Associations work on local programs.

4. Practice Community:

   • Example: Negros Oriental Federation of Fisherfolk focuses on sustainable practices.

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5. Circumstance Community:

   • Example: Typhoon Survivors’ Support Groups provide aid for disaster recovery.

Sense of Community

• Definition: Feeling of belonging and mutual care among members.

• Four Elements of Sense of Community:

  1. Membership:

     • Boundaries and identification, emotional safety, personal investment.

  2. Influence:

     • Social transformations reflected in behavioral changes.

  3. Integration and Fulfillment of Needs:

     • Fulfillment through peer groups or collective resources.

  4. Shared Emotional Connection:

     • Quality of interactions, closures of disputes, shared significant events that bond members.

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Community Structures

• Social Structure:

  • Social Institution: Organizes societal behavior (e.g., Silliman University, Dumaguete City Government).

  • Social Groups: Share identities or interests (e.g., GWAVE, fisherfolk cooperatives).

  • Status: A person’s societal position, achieved or ascribed (e.g., barangay captain).

  • Role: Responsibilities associated with status (e.g., health worker, tourism officer).

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Cultural Structure

• Symbols and Language: Forms of cultural communication (e.g., Buglasan Festival logo).

• Norms: Social expectations (e.g., "Mano po" practice).

• Values and Beliefs: Principles guiding community involvement (e.g., "pagtinabangay" principle).

• Rituals: Repeated cultural practices reinforcing identity (e.g., Sandurot Festival).

• Artifacts: Tangible objects of cultural significance (e.g., Dumaguete Belfry).

Political Structures

• Political Organizations: Influence governance (e.g., Sangguniang Kabataan, Friends of the Environment).

• Citizenship Norms: Civic participation expectations (e.g., barangay assemblies).

• Power Relations: Authority distribution in society (e.g., local leaders advocating rights).

• Leadership Structure: Hierarchical roles in governance (e.g., barangay captains, mayors).

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Economic Structure

• Capital Assets: Resources that support economic activities (e.g., sugarcane plantations).

• Vulnerable Context: Economic instabilities affecting communities (e.g., crop failures).

• Business Climate: Conditions influencing entrepreneurship (e.g., Dumaguete IT-BPO growth).

• Trade: Exchange of goods supporting livelihoods (e.g., local markets).

Community Typologies

1. Organic Solidarity:

   • Cohesive communities sharing values and beliefs (e.g., rural communities).

2. Mechanical Solidarity:

   • People interdependent due to specialization (e.g., Dumaguete City).

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3. Gemeinschaft vs. Gesellschaft:

   • Gemeinschaft: Close-knit, personal relationships (e.g., barangays).

   • Gesellschaft: More impersonal, transactional interactions (e.g., Dumaguete as a university town).

4. Urban, Rural, Suburban, Rurban Communities:

   • Urban: Densely populated with advanced services (e.g., Dumaguete).

   • Rural: Sparsely populated, focused on agriculture (e.g., Siaton, Mabinay).

   • Suburban: Residential areas with urban access (e.g., Bacong).

   • Rurban: Blends both rural and urban elements (e.g., Valencia).

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Types of Communities

1. Local Communities:

   • Example: Dumaguete engaging in civic activities and festivals.

2. Global Communities:

   • Example: Negros Oriental’s tourism networking internationally.

3. Community Sectors:

   • Public Sector: Government institutions (e.g., barangay councils).

   • Private Sector: Businesses supporting economic growth (e.g., Teletech Dumaguete).

   • Voluntary Sector: NGOs focusing on social good (e.g., GWAVE).

4. Social Space:

   • Physical or digital settings where interactions occur (e.g., Quezon Park, Facebook groups).

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Lesson 2: Community Dynamics

Community Dynamics

• Definition: Refers to changes in community structures over time.

• Dynamics: Properties stimulating growth or change within a community.

• Power Structure: Hierarchical relationships governing local interactions.

• Population Structure: Demographic variables affecting community behavior.

Factors Affecting Power Structures

• Authority: Power from elected positions, affecting community dynamics.

• Influence: Derived from perception of competence and ability in community settings.

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Factors Affecting Composition of People

• Fertility: Social preconditions and birth control methods.

• Mortality: Impact of local deaths on community dynamics.

• Migration: Patterns of people leaving or entering communities.

Types of Community Power Structures

1. Pluralist:

   • Widely distributed power, promoting participatory democracy.

2. Elitist:

   • Controlled by a small group with economic resources who have control over financial and economic resources.

   • Class-based theory: power belongs to those who runs the economic system.

3. Amorphous:

   • Absence of a clear power structure, leading to passivity among officials.

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Identifying Community Powers

• Positional Method:

  • Listing key positions in authority but may overlook unseen power actors.

• Reputational Method:

  • Knowledgeable citizens indicate influential power actors.

• Decision-making Method:

  • Examining documented decisions to trace power flows.

• Social Participation:

  • Active community members leading initiatives without formal positions.

Community Action

• Collective efforts addressing social issues for overall well-being.

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Community Engagement

1. Process of Developing Partnerships:

   • Building and sustaining relationships within the community.

2. Service Learning:

   • Community service that teaches and promotes social responsibility.

3. Community Outreach:

   • One-way initiatives like medical missions.

4. Community Engaged Research (CEnR):

   • Involves communities in research processes.

Levels of Community Engagement

1. Information:

   • Disseminating information to community members (e.g., pamphlets).

2. Consultation:

   • Seeking feedback without direct community participation.

3. Involvement:

   • Engaging stakeholders as volunteers.

4. Active Participation:

   • Members involved in all phases of initiative development.

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Modality of Engagement

1. Transactional:

   • Focus on volunteer work and skill transfer.

2. Transitional:

   • Ongoing engagement with resource provision.

3. Transformational:

   • Two-way engagement characterized by active dialogue and participation.

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Lesson 3: Empowerment and Participatory Development

Empowerment Definition

• As a process, it enhances capacities to make decisions and take action.

• As a state, it involves having the ability to transform choices into outcomes.

• Human Right:

  • Empowerment is necessary for individuals to know and claim their basic rights.

Types of Empowerment

1. Social Empowerment:

   • Individual respect and recognition in society.

2. Economic Empowerment:

   • Contributing to economic growth and fair distribution of resources.

3. Political Empowerment:

   • Engagement in democratic processes and equitable political institutions.

Empowerment Analytic Framework

• Agency + Opportunity Structure = Degree of Empowerment.

1. Agency:

   • Ability to make meaningful choices (e.g., planning a community dance).

2. Opportunity Structure:

   • Contextual factors affecting the realization of agency (laws, cultural norms).

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Choices in Analytic Framework

1. Existence of Choice:

   • Opportunities to make choices available.

2. Use of Choice:

   • Actual execution of chosen options.

3. Achievement of Choice:

   • Successful implementation of choices reaching desired outcomes.

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Lesson 4: Social Justice

Human Rights

• Basic rights and freedoms for every person through international law.

• Principles of Human Rights:

  1. Universal and Inalienable: Every human has protection under the law.

  2. Interdependent and Indivisible: Rights are equal and must be upheld in conjunction.

  3. Equal and Non-discriminatory: Rights are to be enjoyed free from discrimination.

  4. Participation and Inclusion: Right to contribute to decisions impacting lives.

  5. Accountability and Rule of Law: Obligations to protect and fulfill rights.

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Core Values of Human Rights

1. Integrity, Transparency, and Accountability:

   • Upholding ethical behavior in governance.

2. Professionalism and Responsiveness:

   • Fair and effective service to communities.

3. Advocacy:

   • Speaking out for human rights issues.

4. Focus and Direction:

   • Commitment to strategic goals.

5. Partnership and Collegial Spirit:

   • Collaborative efforts in community service.

6. Social Responsibility:

   • Contributions towards community enhancement.

7. Mutual Respect and Tolerance:

   • Acceptance of diversity within communities.

8. Financial Sustainability:

   • Management of resources for longevity.

9. Networking and Internationalization:

   • Learning from global practices to improve local contexts.

10. Service with Humility:

    • Helping others without seeking reward.

11. Objectivity and Impartiality:

    • Fair decision-making processes.

12. Inclusiveness:

    • Equal opportunities for all individuals.

13. Making Rights Real:

    • Practical application of rights in everyday life.

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Social Justice Definition

• Ensures equitable treatment and equal access to resources.

• Principles of Social Justice:

1. Promotion of Equality of Opportunity:

   • Fair chances irrespective of background.

2. Promotion of Full Employment:

   • Job opportunities for all individuals.

3. Promotion of Right to Health:

   • Universal access to healthcare services.

4. Recognition of People’s Organizations:

   • Collective rights to organize and express views.

5. Humane Conditions of Work:

   • Standards for safe working conditions.

6. Fair and Just Compensation:

   • Equitable payment for labor.

7. Participation in Decision-Making:

   • Citizens' right to influence policies affecting their lives.

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Poverty and Social Justice

• Definition: Chronic deprivation affecting living standards and rights.

• Dimensions of poverty: Cultural, economic, political, social, and environmental.

Predatory Capitalism

• Corporations prioritizing profit over public interest, leading to systemic inequality.

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Theories of Social Justice

1. Justice as Fairness (John Rawls):

   • Emphasis on liberty and equality; promotes that inequalities must benefit the least advantaged.

2. Utilitarianism (Bentham, Mill):

   • Focus on maximum good for the majority and addressing painful issues.